Types of Investment Strategies in Fund Hedging
There are several different types of investment strategies. Among them are long/short equity, Managed futures, Long volatility, and Relative value volatility. These strategies are designed to minimize the risk of loss, while still enabling the investor to make a profit. However, these strategies are more complex than they sound.
Long/short equity
Long/short equity fund hedging is an investment strategy that invests in equities that are expected to increase in value while selling stocks that are expected to decrease in value. This strategy is a popular choice among hedge funds, and it seeks to minimize market exposure while profiting from both stock price increases and decreases. This strategy typically relies on fundamental analysis of individual companies, industry and sector data, and macroeconomic conditions.
Long/short funds borrow stocks and sell them short to hedge against downside risks. The proceeds of this strategy are provided as collateral to a lender who invests the cash. In return, the lender earns a return and shares part of it with the hedge fund. This “short rebate” is often tied to the federal funds rate.
Long/short equity fund hedging reduces the risk of substantial losses, but it comes at a price. Even with a low risk, funds can lose money if the wrong investments are made. Moreover, most long/short equity funds put an emphasis on canceling market risk. This lower risk means lower potential returns.
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As a result, there is an increasing number of long/short managers in the market. This has created more competition in the industry, making execution more difficult and resulting in a wider gap between exceptional and average managers. Additionally, long/short equity hedge funds have underperformed their traditional counterparts in recent years. For example, the HFRI Equity Hedge Index returned 5.20% annualized at the end of May 2015, compared to 8.12% annually for the S&P 500.
However, the benefits of long/short equity fund hedging are significant. The first is that it has a lower volatility than a traditional long-only portfolio. While this strategy is still profitable, it often leads to low returns, especially in bull markets. The second advantage is that it reduces the risk of the largest drawdown. Another downside of long/short equity fund hedging is that it can be difficult to replicate past performance.
Managed futures
Managed futures are a relatively new investment strategy that has the potential to diversify an investor’s portfolio. They have a high liquidity and are much more transparent than other types of investments. Investors can review the underlying futures contracts and can determine how the fund manager is investing. In addition, managed futures are highly regulated.
The strategies used in managed futures investments include spread trading and arbitrage trading. Investing in these strategies allows fund managers to limit the risks associated with their portfolios and can smooth overall returns. However, investors should take the long view when considering the risks and rewards of this type of investment. Before committing capital to managed futures, investors should consider the track record, reputation, and experience of the manager.
Many investors choose managed futures as an investment strategy because they are less volatile than traditional investments. Many managers use proprietary trading methods and can go long or short in futures contracts. Some types of managed futures include equity index futures, foreign currency futures, U.S. government bond futures, and soft commodities. Managed futures are often used as part of a diversified portfolio. Although these futures typically have a negative correlation with asset classes, they can reduce a portfolio’s risk.
Another risk factor for managed futures investment strategies is the fact that they may not be able to provide the necessary buffer against sudden market moves. While they are diversified and highly liquid, managed futures strategies are not a perfect hedge against market volatility. In addition, managed futures strategies may not be able to recognize and profit from trends. They may also suffer losses during sharp moves in the opposite direction.
In addition, managed futures investment strategies are not suitable for all investors. For example, a large pension fund may invest in 10 different funds. For tax purposes, futures are taxed differently from stocks. Futures are considered long-term while stocks are regarded as short-term.
Relative value volatility
A hedge fund can use relative value volatility to protect itself against losses. Although it is more expensive than traditional hedging, it offers some advantages. For example, relative value volatility funds are not correlated with the S&P 500 index, so they are less risky than other investment strategies. In addition, such funds may help clients reach diversification objectives.
Volatility is a traded derivative of equities that tends to decline during times of economic growth while increasing during periods of economic decline. Although volatility strategies are attractive to investors looking for diversification, they may not be the best solution for all portfolios. It is important to carefully analyze volatility hedging strategies before implementing them.
Funds that use COVID to hedge their investments are able to buy securities on margin or engage in collateralized borrowing. This allows them to purchase structured derivative products without using any of their own capital. However, they must make premium payments whenever market conditions change. Some hedge funds negotiate secured credit lines with banks, while others obtain unsecured credit lines. Although these lines are expensive, most managers use them to finance margin calls.
Using a relative value strategy is a good way to protect against interest rate risks and other adverse scenarios. One of the benefits of this approach is that it is more suited for bond portfolio diversification. Unlike traditional hedging strategies, this approach is a more conservative way to hedge against risk. Relative value funds are typically hedge funds that use leverage to boost returns. In other words, they use margin trading to take long positions on undervalued assets and short positions on overvalued securities.
The downside of using relative volatility strategies is that they are less liquid. This means that they may not perform as well in a downturn. As a result, they can become less attractive over time. Furthermore, they tend to be more expensive than traditional asset classes. Furthermore, their high correlations to equities make them less attractive for investors.
Long volatility
Long volatility investment strategies in fund hedging aim to provide positive returns on volatile asset prices. They can be created with simple instruments. However, these strategies are unlikely to be popular with investors. They are less likely to attract new investors than insurance on cars and houses. While some investors may be fine paying premiums, the vast majority will not want to risk losing money for years on end.
Investors can use ETFs to hedge their volatility exposure. Volatility ETFs track the Volatility Index (VIX). The VIX is an indicator of market volatility. When volatility is high, the VIX increases in value. Using volatility ETFs can help investors profit from volatility.
The long volatility ETF provides investors with a stable return despite fluctuations in volatility. The fund’s performance is correlated with the global equity market, government bonds, and gold price in the US dollar. The index’s performance is calculated using a custom equal-weighted index and includes a broad selection of long volatility strategies. Fund managers specifically look for returns on volatile assets during periods of market distress.
Increasing inflation has created uncertainty and increased volatility. While this is good for investors, it does have some disadvantages. Inflation could remain higher for longer than policymakers expected. Nevertheless, the benefits of downside protection far outweigh the costs of allocating a portion of your portfolio to long volatility strategies.
Volatility trading has become a popular fund strategy. During the financial crisis, volatility specialist funds made headlines with their high returns. Increasing use of exchange-traded options contracts has made volatility funds more transparent and easier to price.
Fixed income arbitrage
Fixed income arbitrage is a type of fund hedging that aims to exploit pricing inefficiencies between fixed income instruments. It uses techniques like yield-curve, cash versus futures and Municipal Bond versus Treasury yield spreads. Its effectiveness is based on the fact that it can mitigate interest rate risk.
Fixed income arbitrage can be profitable for investors, but it requires significant capital. It is most commonly used by large institutional investors. In addition, this strategy is very risky, and it is only suitable for large investors who can afford to lose a lot of money. However, it can yield very high returns if used properly.
In a typical arbitrage trade, the arbitrager will buy a two-year Treasury note and sell a three-year one. He hopes that the 3-year Treasury note will fall in value and the two-year note will increase in value. However, if the yield curve flattens out, the arbitrage trade will not be profitable.
Fixed income arbitrage is attractive based on correlations between assets and debt securities. In addition, there is high leverage that can be used. In addition, the US government sector offers a wide variety of debt securities, each with a different credit quality and a different convexity aspect in pricing. In contrast, other sovereign, mortgage-related, and corporate debt markets offer fewer opportunities for relative value positions.
Another strategy used for fixed income arbitrage is the convertible bond market. This strategy extracts underpriced implied volatility from long convertible bonds by delta-hedging against short equity positions. The strategy is most effective during periods of high convertible issuance, moderate volatility, and reasonable liquidity. However, since convertible bonds are less liquid than equity, the manager must borrow the underlying equity to short sell. As a result, the manager runs a thirty-to-one long-to-one short position.
Investment Strategies in Fund Hedging – Final Thoughts

Investment Strategies in fund hedging are a great way to limit the risk of an equity portfolio by using pairs of securities. Using pair trades, fund managers will bet on two companies in the same industry (long Coke and short Pepsi, for example). These types of pairs are fine regardless of the market trend. Another strategy that hedge funds use is arbitrage, where they profit from price differences in interest rate securities. The most common form of arbitrage is the swap-spread strategy.
Another common form of hedge funds is event-driven, where the manager’s decisions are based on a particular event. These strategies are most effective during periods of rising corporate activity, as they tend to work best when stock prices are on the rise. However, these strategies can be less effective if investors have a long-term time horizon.
When using hedged funds, it’s important to keep in mind that these strategies cannot eliminate all risk. In most cases, the goal of hedging is to minimize the risk of any equity position. Hedging is not a guaranteed way to prevent losses, but it does help to mitigate risk. It is also important to remember that the use of hedges is not a substitute for diversification.
An investment in a hedge fund should be conducted only by accredited investors. This means that the investor must have at least $1 million in net worth or have a reasonable expectation of income during the current year.